Girls Will Get Their Medals: California Clarifies Transgender Policy For High School Track Finals

The governing body that oversees California high school sports clarified on Wednesday that its new policy for the upcoming track meet this weekend would still award girls their rightful places on the podium, even if a trans-identifying boy has one of the top scores.

In a statement shared with The Daily Wire, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said that at the state championships, “a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event.”

The CIF statement is a follow-up to an announcement made on Tuesday that stated that female athletes who lost out on qualifying for the state track and field championships because they were forced to compete against a boy would be invited to the event. The updated guidance means that if trans-identifying student AB Hernandez places in the high jump, triple jump, or long jump, he will be accompanied on the podium by the female athlete who would have finished in his position. The final events are set to be held on Saturday, with qualifying events held on Friday.

“On Friday, May, 30, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump qualifying events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark will also be advanced to the finals,” the CIF stated.

NEWS: California clarifies that it will award high school girls a place on the podium at the upcoming state championship high jump, triple jump, or long jump, even if they finish behind a trans-identifying boy. pic.twitter.com/hEnsVOltcm

— Zach Jewell (@zach_d_jewell) May 28, 2025

After it released its initial statement on Tuesday, the CIF was blasted for allowing Hernandez to continue to compete against girls, and many people were confused as to why the new policy would simply invite female athletes who missed out on qualifying to once again compete against the boy who already beat them. At the Southern Section finals on May 17, Hernandez posted a jump of 19 feet, 2.75 inches, which beat out second-place finisher Katie McGuinness’ jump of 18 feet, 9.5 inches. He won two division titles in the triple and long jump at the event.

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California and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom were ripped by President Donald Trump for allowing Hernandez to compete against girls in the high school track meet. The president said on Tuesday that he would speak to Newsom “to find out which way he wants to go.” The California governor praised the CIF policy as “a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing.”

Newsom has previously suggested that he is opposed to men competing against women, but he has not taken any action to prevent trans-identifying boys and men from playing girls’ sports. The updated CIF guidance also comes after the office of Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced that it is investigating the CIF over potential Title IX violations.

“My office has found reasonable cause to believe that CIF, too, is engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against female athletes,” Dhillon wrote.